Highly Unusual C. & N. Jerome Wooden Works Clock

I recently purchased an extremely rare and unusual clock made by C. & N. Jerome. If you're an avid reader of mine you will know 2 things: No 1:I avoid using "rare" to describe clocks as much as possible, since many were mass produced, and the term tends to be over used. No 2: I tend to stumble upon rare/unique oddball clocks fairly frequently. I was immediately intrigued by this clock based on the case/construction details, which don't match anything I've seen to date. In addition to the unusual case design, the clock also features several other bizarre quirks, which I'll describe.







First, the case has short columns with tall plinth blocks. This (all on its own) is by far the most unusual feature on the entire clock, and I have found only ONE OTHER wooden works clock with similar tall plinth blocks.

The case also uses a 3-part (3 glass/3 division) door. This is not super unusual, but it is much less frequently found on typical wooden works clock cases. Jerome in particular (through various partnerships and eras) was especially fond of this case feature, and I have several examples of clocks with 3 part doors between the 1830s, all the way to ogee clocks in the 1880s (made by New Haven by this date).





The lock will need a replacement key.



The next unusual feature is the use of a partially-painted zinc dial. Most similar early clocks with partially painted dials (with unpainted exposed zinc) tend to be of the ogee type (roughly 9 inches square). This particular dial is 11.5" square, and the paint work and patina both suggest at LEAST 1840s manufacture, HOWEVER, I'm unable to tell with 100% certainty if this dial is original to this clock due to the presence of extra holes in the dial support rails. If the dial is a later swap, it's fairly clear that it has been in this clock case for a very long time, as the shadow lines from the door frame all line up perfectly with the dial.











Another feature that is unusual is the presence/use of brass hands. These appear to be period hands (stamped/factory made), but it is difficult to be 100% sure, as brass ages and tarnishes fairly easily. I know from research that brass hands WERE made in the period (in the 1830s) but they tend to be found largely on "special" clocks, or paired with clock dials that have a lot of black decoration (often with gold numerals on a black background rather than black ones over gold).

The movement appears to ID as:
8.132 Ephraim Downes (Jeromes & Darrow are listed as a user, but not C & N Jerome)
8.133 Atkins & Downs (no matching makers)
8.134 E & G W Bartholomew (no matching makers)

Out of those options, (and assuming the movement is original) the Jerome and Darrow connection is the only one that makes sense.





Other notes:
The dial surround is actually a lovely (yet faded) teal blue.
The top left pulley hole has been chewed-up by a mouse (which doesn't bother me).
The upper right chimney, and left side return piece are somewhat poor replacements made from birch (not veneered). These will be rebuilt.
Slightly less common circular Terry door lock in brass.
Centre panel appears to be original paint, and in plain black (which is VERY unusual).
Upper and lower glass appears to have been replaced, and the putty in both is newer.
Lovely period pendulum bob.
Lovely door lock escutcheon.
Very nice/clear stenciling on the case/splat (top splat will be repaired and it should have 3 bumps).
Evidence on the two plinths of LATER applied gold paint (sloppily applied).
Backboard has horizontal planks.
Surprisingly little veneer damage and/or repairs (just some losses on lower front board).
Dates to approximately 1834-1839, depending which source you look at.
Label is near mint. P. Canfield Printer, Hartford.
The clock uses a less common early spiral gong, rather than a cast iron bell. The gong wire is also fairly heavy gauge (compare it to the hammer stem wire in the photos).
The height of the main body of the clock is 25.75" to the top board (not counting the splat elements). Same height as a standard ogee, and the same height as the Elbridge Atkins (both are shorter than a standard wooden works case).





















Note shadow lines around the dial edges.



I would love to know about any other examples you may know about. I have done a LOT of digging, but have only turned up ONE other clock (as mentioned) with tall plinth blocks similar to this one. That one is shown below, and it's a Jerome & Darrow in a slightly fancier case, with similar design features.

Here is the only similar clock I found, which is by Jeromes & Darrow (the partnership just before C. & N. Jerome).

Highly Unusual Vienna Clock - Part 1

Here is a rather lovely clock that I've had sitting around in my "to fix" pile for a while. I bought the clock originally in may of 2009. This was one of those purchases where I bought it largely based on looks and price. The clock was only 99$ USD +shipping, so I thought it was a fairly nice piece (or it could be) with a bit of work.

Please note, these are a mix of newer and older photos.



After it arrived, I started to be really puzzled by it. For the most part, the case seems to be a European product, made from yellow pine or spruce, and veneered in figured walnut with ebonized accents. It also had a bit of woodworm damage, which is something I see frequently in European antiques.

The bottom bracket has beautiful walnut burl veneer.



The movement and the case layout are where things start to get a bit weird.



The case has a false (or double) back, which barely hides behind the dial. This back is meant to hide a spiral gong, which is now missing. The false back is held in place by a single screw into the centre bar (though the backboard).





The movement is unlike any I have ever seen before. At first glance, it looks a lot like a very standard American 8 day movement, but looking closer, a lot of the details are wildly different. As a quick side note: the movement appears to be original to the clock. There are no additional holes anywhere.



I don't know why, but the entire strike train was removed at some point in the past, which is a real shame.



The various parts are all extremely well made. Solid brass, nice thick enamel, etc.



Some chipping around the dial centre was later patched-up.



The dial is all crimped together quite nicely. It just sits over the movement and is fixed in place with 2 small screws.



The screw-fixing method was clearly not an after thought as the enamel was fired with the holes already in place.



Here are more photos of the unusual movement.

Some of the differences:
- HUUUUGE verge. This strip verge is not only wider than the escape wheel, but it's also unnecessarily deep
- Suspension spring post for a double leaf European style spring
- Crutch loop for pendulum rod in an unusual "U" shape
- Unusual motion works setup
- Unusual bridges and brackets
- "I" shaft for minute hand (which is not all that common on this style of 8 day movement (American or otherwise)













The movement seems to point to an Asian manufacture, but it's hard to say for sure. It doesn't feel cheap and flimsy, so if it is Asian made, it is most certainly an older make. I would date the clock to around 1890-1900 but again, it's hard to say. I have found no inscriptions, scribbles, stamps, or any other kind of identifying information on it (aside from the two "30" crayon marks on the 2 backboards). I have also never run across another similar clock since buying this one.

I seem to have a knack for finding rare and unusual pieces. I don't think this one is particularly valuable or desirable, but it's still a rather nice piece. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this clock. If you have a similar example, please contact me.

A Rare Find (AKA: The "Mystery" Wooden Works Clock)

I try not to overuse the term "rare" since so many people throw the term around meaninglessly, but in this case, it's not an exaggeration.

I bought this clock earlier this year (May 2014), and I meant to post it here sooner. I came across it on eBay, and since it's just barely even a case, it didn't attract too many bidders. I usually AVOID buying this kind of clock because putting it all back together will cost far more than buying a complete original clock. If you assume that a movement will cost around 80-100$ plus shipping, plus a painted dial to fit, at around 50$ plus shipping, in addition to hands, a bob, a pair of weights, recreating a backboard, fitting antique glass, and rebuilding the missing top, it hardly seems worth the trouble and expense. Especially since it's such a plain case.

HOWEVER, what attracted me to this particular clock case is it's incredible rarity. WHY is it rare? That can be a bit hard to explain, but in short, because of the way that the door is divided, and the lack of columns. More on this shortly.

As a quick side note, I just want to point out that just because an antique is rare, it doesn't necessarily make it more valuable. I would think that if this clock were complete, and placed in an auction, it would fetch about the same price as similar wooden works clocks, but I could be wrong.

The original eBay photos were quite decent, so I've included them along with some of my own.





The latch is a typical "key" shaped one from around the late 1830s, and into the 1840s. It has been damaged and bent downwards.















Here are a few of my photos. The case's main body is close to the size of a standard ogee clock, and not the normal height of a wooden works clock. The main case is 26" x 15 1/2" x 4 1/2". The upper door opening for the dial is 9 3/4" square, so the dial would likely have been around 10" x 10".









The inscription behind the central door panel (enhanced below) appears to read W. C. Kilbreath Cumberland Clock Repairer one year (Good). It would have been nice to have a date with this note. I was able to find one mention of a W. C. Kilbreath in Cumberland Ohio in an old National Tribune paper dated Jan 30th 1896, but that's all I could find.

EDIT: News! I think I found him! Unfortunately there's no mention of clock repair, but it's highly possible he worked on clocks after he retired.

Name: William Calvin KILBREATH
Birth: 18 SEP 1828 in Booths Ferry, VA. (W.Va)
Death: 30 OCT 1900
Burial: Cumberland Cem., Cumberland, OH

OBITUARY: JEFFERSONIAN Oct. 30, 1900
After an illness of but one week, with congestion of the lungs the venerable Wm. Calvin Kilbreath died at his home north of Cumberland at about 9:00 p.m., Tues. aged 72. He was born near Booth's Ferry, VA (now W.VA) sept. 18, 1828 and was married to Mary Nelson on Sept. 9, 1851. To this union eleven children were born, nine of whom survive. On the 7th of Aug., 1862 he enlisted in Co. B, 97th O.V.I and served 14 months, mostly as a hospital nurse. He was a faithful soldier, doing duty wherever assigned. Mr. Kilbreath was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was affiliated with the O.U.A.M. and G.A.R. His patriotism knew no bounds and upon every occasion he delighted to honor and display the flag for which he fought. He had been a resident of this vicinity many years and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. Beside his aged and grief stricken wife the following named children and 16 grandchildren remain: Peter N. of Cambridge; James C. of Cadiz; Margaret A. Smith of Spratt; Ella M. Moore of Zanesville; Martha E. Fox of Cumberland; U.G. of North Baltimore; C.A. and Dora O. Yerian of Cumberland and Wm. H. of Buffalo, OH. Funeral at the Pres. Church, 1:00 by Rev. H. C. Morledte. Remains laid to rest in Cumberland Cemetery.





Now, as I said, part of the reason this clock is so rare is because of the way that the door is divided into 3 sections. Very few clocks have doors with narrow panels in the centre. Several will have divisions at the bottom, like the clocks made by Silas Hoadley, which usually have a mirror below the dial, and a small painted tablet at the bottom with the "Time is Money" inscription. Almost no other clockmakers used 3 part divided doors. Many clocks have 2 doors, or built-in wooden panels that separate two doors (or a fixed panel under the door), like Putnam Bailey clocks, but none are divided like this particular clock. It's also highly unusual to see a wooden works clock case without turned columns, triangular columns, flat columns, reeded columns, or even flat/carved columns (like some rare Bishop & Bradley clocks).

I have archived (over the past decade) thousands of photos of rare and interesting clocks, both in the form of books (dozens) and from online sources (private collections, eBay listings, online auction houses, etc) and after hours of sifting through these, I found only ONE very similar clock made by Elbridge Atkins (sometimes misspelled Eldridge Atkins). The clock can be seen here:



It's not identical, only similar. It has a centre divided door, plain side pieces (no columns) and has a painted eagle tablet rather than a mahogany panel. Two other differences are the width of the side pieces flanking the door, and the use of an ivory keyhole escutcheon and "Terry" style lock instead of a simple catch. My clock has evidence that it had top chimneys, splat, and return pieces, but I can only guess what they might have looked like.

Just recently, I came across a second Elbridge Atkins clock which was sold in 2009, and that looks nearly identical to the one above. The main difference is the dial. The hands are not original.



Elbridge Atkins clocks on their own appear to be quite scarce. I have found only a few examples. This one is a typical column and splat wooden works, but it shows the label, and provides another possible splat design.





Lastly, a very unusual find was this very poor photo of an Elbridge Atkins "Bevel Case" clock, with a 3 section divided door. Bevel case clocks are early versions of Ogee clocks, and often have wooden works movements, and date to the 1830s or 1840s.



And that's all the information I've been able to gather. I'll be able to easily recreate some chimneys for the top based on the shadows, but I will have to guess the correct splat and side return designs unless I can find other similar clocks to work from. I'd appreciate any information you may have about this clock (including any other Elbridge Atkins clocks).